Local Queens Date Spots: L.I.C. Edition

Long Island City (LIC) has been transformed over the past decade from an industrial park to a revitalized, trendy neighborhood. With this came many luxury buildings, bars, events, and restaurants. So of course some of these are definite date spots. Here are my recommendations:

Shi

Shi is Sushi with a view. The restaurant is placed in the perfect spot in LIC, right on the water with a spectacular view of the NYC skyline. You usually have to pay for a view like this but not here. The prices are on par with your usual Sushi joint with regular rolls from $4-$6 dollars and specialty rolls hitting no more than $14. if your into Shrimp Tempura and Spicy Tuna try The Shrimpy roll, its a definitely winner! For those that aren't Sushi fans they also offer Chinese-American plates. If you happen to go on a comfortable summer night ask for a table outside or in the back where you'll get a better view.

El Aye Si

Roughly translated to English, El Aye Si means The Oh Yes in Spanish (and yes i know its also a way to phonetically spell out LIC). Don't mistake this for a Latin joint, they pride themselves on serving "Multi-cultural Comfort Food". You can find dishes that range from Southern Fried Chicken to Mexican and Irish dishes. They also carry a good selection of reasonably priced wine and cocktails. The decor is made up of re-purposed wood and salvaged materials, along with candle light sets the perfect mood for a date.

Blend

Last but not least is Blend, Latin Fusion  restaurant has a cool sleek vibe. They serve dishes from all over Latin America. I recommend the Ropa Vieja and the Mofongo with Braised Beef. Definitely try to get there before the end of their happy hour where they offer 99% of their cocktails for about $4.

Gantry Plaza


Walk off your dinner by strolling down to Gantry Plaza State Park which is located on Center Blvd between 46th Rd and 50th Ave. This park was created in conjunction with the luxury high-rise condos that have changed the face of Long Island City. It was built around the 2 resorted industrial Gantries that were used to receive and unload rail car floats and barges. Take in the views from the modern industrial park while you wait to make your move.

Break Her Down with Spoken Word

Nuyorican Poets Cafe 

This place is golden. It is an intimate venue of solid brick walls, dim lights, cheap drinks, and great poetry. For those of you that never watched Def Poetry Jam, this isn't your "Roses are red and violets are blue" kind of poetry. I know as a guy you think poetry and you think, "thats kind of weak", but its not. Trust me guys this is real entertainment using real, intense emotions and stories told by the people that wrote them. 

You might ask, "why is this a good date spot?" and the answer is simple, it's different and refreshing. The performers, besides being awesome talk about interesting topics that can become conversations for you and your date afterwards. I once saw a poet at the Nuyorican recite a poem about break dancing as he pop-n-locked through every single line. There was one that wrote a hilarious poem about "going down" and another poet that didn't leave a dry eye in the audience. 

The night to go is Friday night for their weekly Slam. The show starts at 10pm but get there an hour ahead because the line gets real long and you might not wind up with a seat or not getting in at all (yes its that popular). There is a $10 cover but the $4-$6 drinks inside make up for it. I suggest going to the coffee shop down the block before lining up and grabbing a cup of coffee and snack for the wait. Since this means you will have some waiting time I recommend this date for a post 1st date. Also you might want to have an early dinner before hand. Being that its in the lower east side the dinner options are limitless. See my other posts for possible suggestions.